legal immigration is the very he ns of our country. it sets us apart from ever other nation in the world. the fact that citizenship is open to you will who have a sincere desire to understand, adopt, and revere those ue nookly -- uniquely american rinciples enshrined in our declaration of independence and in the constitution. they do so by the thousands every day. by obeying our immigration laws, renouncing foreign loyalties, and embracing american principles. by doing so as lincoln said, they become the blood of the blood, and flesh of the flesh of the men who wrote that declaration. illegal immigration destroys all of that and any measure that encourages more of it by granting special privileges to those who defy our immigration laws is a direct affront to every legal immigrant who has become an american and it is a direct challenge to the process of immigration that build our nation. to those illegal immigrants who seek citizenship out of a sincere desire to become americans, i ask only that they respect our laws and i invite them t